Freshening up herbs & salad leaves

[Morning Glory]

@timmyc wrote in another thread about freshening up parsley

Like parsley for example if it starts getting a bit sad, put it in some ice cold water and the leaves will come good again.

Well, I knew this trick but had completely forgotten about it so thanks @timmyc! I had some parsley which had gone distinctly limp and pretty well unusable and was about to throw it out - but then I remembered and plunged it into iced water. Hey presto, its as good as new. In fact it looks better than it did when I bought it in a packet! Its still looking as good a day later (I left it in the water in the fridge). I should have taken a before and after photo but here is the 'after':

I also used the trick on the red cos lettuce leaves I used in this Salade Niçoise with excellent results:

Does this technique work as well with all green herbs and green salad leaves, I wonder? Coriander (cilantro) in particular is prone to going limp rather quickly and I've not tried it with that.

 

[medtran49]

We usually wash parsley and cilantro, trim the ends, then put them in water like you would flowers. After they drain for a bit, we cover with a plastic bag and put them in the refrigerator. They usually last for a couple of weeks, sometimes longer.

As far as lettuce, I try to wash it several hours before dinner, tear it into pieces, put it in the salad spinner (without spinning) and stick it in the refrigerator. Right before dinner, I'll spin it. The excess water and the cool temps in the refrigerator perk the lettuce right up.

 

[timmyc]

@timmyc wrote in another thread about freshening up parsley

Well, I knew this trick but had completely forgotten about it so thanks @timmyc! I had some parsley which had gone distinctly limp and pretty well unusable and was about to throw it out - but then I remembered and plunged it into iced water. Hey presto, its as good as new. In fact it looks better than it did when I bought it in a packet! Its still looking as good a day later (I left it in the water in the fridge). I should have taken a before and after photo but here is the 'after':

View attachment 28235

I also used the trick on the red cos lettuce leaves I used in this Salade Niçoise with excellent results:

View attachment 28236

Does this technique work as well with all green herbs and green salad leaves, I wonder? Coriander (cilantro) in particular is prone to going limp rather quickly and I've not tried it with that.

Most green herbs it does.

Lettuce you can, although it turns bad very quickly. Not something I would do, I just throw the lettuce out instead of refreshing it with cold water.

 

[Morning Glory]

We usually wash parsley and cilantro, trim the ends, then put them in water like you would flowers. After they drain for a bit, we cover with a plastic bag and put them in the refrigerator. They usually last for a couple of weeks, sometimes longer.

That's a good idea. Will do that in future.

Lettuce you can, although it turns bad very quickly. Not something I would do, I just throw the lettuce out instead of refreshing it with cold water.

I used it straight away and it was super crisp.

 

[timmyc]

That's a good idea. Will do that in future.



I used it straight away and it was super crisp.

Yeh it will be alright if you do use it quicky.

I had a chef where i am working put the lettuce in cold water in the fridge to keep it fresh, doesn't take long for it to go yucky.

If you plan to store it that way as a tactic to keep it crisp it will have the opposite effect.

But for a short period of time it would be ok.